Ammonia-cylinder cap



May 3,1927. 4 1,627,371

H. C. BIERMAN ET AL AMMONIA CYLINDER CAP Filed Oct. 10, 1925 HARRY '6 B/ERMAM Grow: w .SPE/RS mmvrons.

A TTORNEY.

Patented May 3, 1927.

UNITED: STATES PATIENT OFFICE.

AMMONIA-CYLINDER CAP.

Application filed October 10, 1925.

This invention relates to closures, more particularly to those adapted to fit on containers having inwardly curved end rims.

Containers of this type are well known and have been used for many years for the: transportation of anhydrous ammonia and other liquids. The container is cylindrical with a. dished head and an inwardly curved rim, the top of the rim being at an angle to the plane passing transversely through the cylinder. A valve structure for the release of the ammonia projects upwardly from the center of the dished head to approximately the top of the rim. As the valve is liable to injury in the handling of the cylinder it has been customary to provide a closure or cap which is held in position by suitable means when the cylinder is being shipped, and which is removable when it is desired to gain access to the valve.

A closure previously used consisted of a solid, circular cap having an annular rim which rested upon the top of the inwardly curved rim of the cylinder, and a downwardly and. outwardly projecting lug or hook-piece adjacent to the rim, adapted to contact with the inside of thecylinder rim. ()n the side of the cap opposite the lug was 7 a vertical beveled opening through which J dently became projected a bolt having a nut on the lower end thereof. When the cap was-to be tightened on the cylinder the bolt was rotated, causing the nut to make contact with the beveled portion of the opening, whereby it was drawn upwardly and wedged into contact with the cylinder rim. This device was not satisfactory as very often the nut accidetached from the bolt and both members were lost. Difiiculty was 8X1 perienced' in fitting the cap on the cylinder and to obtain the required wedgingaction, and there was no convenient means for grasping the cap during manipulation thereof.

Another closure consisted of a skeleton cap having an annular rim adapted to rest on the cylinder rim and having an annular de-. pending flange fitting within 'the cylinder rim. At one point the flange memberwas formedwith an outwardly extending lug or hook-piece which contacted with the inner wall of the cylinder rim. At a point, on the flange opposite the lug was aboss portion of the cylinder,

Serial No. 61,702.

through which a horizontallyplaced screw,

was threaded, the screw being located radially of the cap, and access to the screw was obtained through one of the openings in the skeleton cap. This did not-give complete protection to the valve structure .because of the large openings in the cap'which left the valvev in an exposed position, and the screw was not readily, accessible since it was located a considerable distance below the top of the cap The present invention is intended to ;ob-

viate the disadvantagesinherent in the old being among the objects.

types of caps, it of this invention to provide a closurestructure which shall be simple, rugged,=inexpensive to manufacture, light in weight and eaiy to manipulate. V j

n practicing the invention there is provided a cap body which is of elongated form having ledges to allow the same to rest upon At one end of the body over the valve structure in the cylinder head,"

and depending flanges on the sides thereof.

provide an. almost complete protective-en-- closure therefor. The ledges of the cap are at the same angle as the top of the cylinder rim, and there are three ledges so spaced as to give a three-point contact, which causes the cap to rest firmly upon the cylinder.

In the accompanying drawing constituting apart hereof and in which like refersame characters indicate like parts:

Fig. l is a plan View of the improved cap shown in position on a cylinder: r I Fig. 2 is avertical, longitudinal, crosssectional view through the capand the upper II-II of Fig. l: I

Fig. 3 is a vertical,transverse, sectional view'through the cap taken along the line III-III of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is a the operating wrench in position.

The cylinder 1 has a dished head 2 there-.

and adapted similar view taken along the broken line IV-IV of Flg. 2 and showing taken along the line being welded together at 3 and providing an upper surface 4 which is at an angle to the horizontal, the entire end of the cylinder being inwardly curved as shown in Fig. 2. Projecting upwardly from the center of the dished head 2 is a valve structure 5 adapted to allow the removal of ammonia or other liquid from the cylinder. The top 6 of the VillNG structure is approximately on the same level as the top 4 of the cylinder.

The cap or closure structure consists essentially of an elongated body 7 of suitabl material, generally of malleable cast iron, and has at one end thereof an arcuate ledge 8 and at the other end ledges 9 and 10 of relatively small area. All the ledges are provided with under surfaces 11, having the same angle of slope as the top 4': of the cylinder rim so as to rest firmly thereon. At the side of the cap, adjacent to the ledge 8, is a depressed portion 12, having a boss 13 on the outer side thereof and a screw 14 is threaded into the same at an angle to the horizontal and in such a position that when the screw is advanced it binds against the inner side of the end rim of the cylinder. The sides of the depression 12 are formed with ribs 15 and 16,principally to afford protection for the screw 1d and also to strengthen the structure.

Along the sides of the cap 7 are depend ing, substantially parallel flanges 17 and 18, having their greatest depth 19 at a point in close proximity to the valve structure 5 in order to as nearly as possible completely enclose the same and thus protect it from injury. The flanges 17 and 18 converge at the end of the cap body 7 and form a lug 20 extending downwardly and outwardly in orderto make contact with the inner surface of the cylinder rim. Strengthening ribs 21 and 22 are provided for the ledges 9 and 10, respectively, and small openings23 and 24 are formed therein and serve as means for retaining inspection and shipping tags, which may be held therein by wire or cord. In the bottom of depression 12 there may be formed a small opening 25 for aiding in the casting of the cap, but having no me chanical function in the construction or operation of the cap itself In forming a sand mold of the piece to be cast, there is a considerable weight of sand, constituting the depression 12 of the finished casting, hanging down from the cope and when the flash is assembled, the weight of this will tend to detach it from the remainder of the sand and thus spoil the casting. To avoid this there is built up in the mold a core of sand corresponding to the opening 25 of the finished casting which supports the relatively large weight of sand of depression 12, prevents collapse thereof and thus insures a greater number of perfect castings.

In placing the cap in position upon the cylinder, the center of the body portion thereof is grasped and the cap is held at an angle while the lug 20 is being inserted into the end rim of the cylinder, after which the cap is allowed to fall into position whereby the ledges 8, 9 and 10 rest upon the top l of the cylinder rim. The wrench 26 is then applied to the screw 1 f, advancing it against the inner surface of the cylinder rim, causing it to bind against the same and also forcing the lug 2O firmly against the opposite surface. The contact thus provided is sufficient to firmly retain the cap on the cylinder under all conditions of service,

It will be noted that the present invention provides a cap which is simple in construction in that it requires merely a casting operation and but a simple machining operation, namely the drilling and tapping of the boss 13 for the insertion of the screw 14. The said screw is visible at all times and it is readily accessible to the operator without the necessity of his groping around for a concealed screw as in the case of a cap previously used. In spite of the fact that the screw is in an open position and readily accessible, it is fully protected from injury by the ribs 15 and 16. In caps of the prior art the screws were very often lost by reason of the removal thereof from the threaded portion but in the present case, owing to the slope of the depressed portion 12, when the screw is retracted it comes in close proximity to the wall of the depression, making it more and more difficult to retract the same as the free end of the screw approaches the boss itself, and for this reason the operator practically never accidentally removes the screw entirely from the cap. The strain incident to the binding of screw 14 and lug 20 is distributed through a relatively large area as represented by the cross-section of the cap at the two points of strain so that the likelihood of breaking of the cap is reduced to a minimum.

Although in the above description of the invention there has been set forth a certain specific embodiment thereof, various changes may be made in the construction thereof within the scope of the invention. For instance, the arcuate ledge 8 may be reduced in size to a considerable ex cut and a narrow ledge may be provided, similar in area to ledges 9 and 10. Although the screw has been placed at an angle it operates equally well when placed horizontally and the present invention contemplates also a horizont-al position thereof. The opening 25 may be omitted entirely as its function is only utilized during the casting operation, but if desired, the said opening may be enlarged to a considerable degree in order to decrease the weight of the cap. The ribs 15 and 16, as well as the depending flanges 17 and 18 may be decreased in extent or may be omitinner surface of said rim,

ted altogether but the protective features of the cap would be lessened by the total omission thereof. It is apparent that these and other changes may be made in the present invention without departing from the principles herein set forth, the invention being defined in the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a container having an inwardly curved end rim, a closure therefor comprising a body, ledges integral therewith adapted to rest on the top of said rim, a lug adapted to contact with the inner surface of said rim, and a screw passing through the top of said body adapted to impinge upon the inner surface of said rim.

2. In combination with a container having an inwardly curved end rim, a closure therefor comprising a body, ,ledges integral therewith adapted to rest on the top of said rim, a lug adapted to contact with the a depression in the top of said body adapted to impinge upon the inner surface of said rim and a screw passing through said depression.

3. In combination with a container having an inwardly curved end rim, a closure therefor comprising a body, ledges integral therewith adapted to rest on the top of said rim, a lug adapted tocontact with the inner surface of said rim, and a screw inclined slightly from the horizontal passing through the top of said body adapted to impinge upon the inner surface of said rim.

4. In combination with a container having an inwardly curved end rim, a closure therefor comprising an elongated body, ledges integral therewith adapted to rest on the top of said rim, a lug adapted to contact with the inner surface of said rim. and a screw passing through the top of said body adapted to impinge upon the inner surface of said rim.

5. In combination with a container having an inwardly curved end rim, a closure therefor comprising an elongated body, ledges integral therewith adapted to rest on the top of said rim, a lug adapted to contact with the inner surface of said rim, and a screw passing through the top of said body adapted to impinge upon the inner surface of said rim, the said lug and screw being at opposite ends of said body.

In combination with a container having an inwardly curved end rim, a closure therefor comprising an elongated body, ledges integral therewith adapted to rest on the top of said rim, a lug adapted to contact with the inner surface of said rim, a screw passing through the top of said body adapted to impinge upon the inner surface of said rim and depending flanges on the sides of said body adapted to partially surround a valve structurelocated centrally of said container.

7. In combination with a container having an inwardly curved end rim, a closure therefor comprising an elongated body, ledges integral therewith adapted to rest on the top of said rim, a lug adapted to contact with the inner surface of said rim, a screw passing through the top of said body adapted to impinge upon the inner surface of said rim and substantially parallel, depending flanges on the sides of said body adapted to partially surround-a valve structure located centrally of said container.

8. In combination with a container having an inwardly curved end rim, a closure therefor comprising a body, ledges integral therewith adapted to rest on of said rim and providing a three-point contact, a lug adapted to contact with the inner surface of said rim, and a screw passing through the to impinge upon the inner surface of said rim.

9. In combination with a container having an inwardly curved end rim, a closure therefor comprising a body, ledges integral therewith adapted to rest on the top of said rim, the under surfaces of said ledges being formed at the same angle as the top of said rim to give a wide area of contact, a lug adapted to eontactwith the inner surface of said through the top of said body adapted to impinge upon the inner surface of saidrim.

10. In combination with a container having an inwardly curved end rim, a closure therefor comprising a body, ledges integral therewith adapted said rim, a lug adapted to contact with the inner surface of said rim, a depression in the top of said body and a screw passing through said depression adapted to impinge upon the inner surface of said rim, and ribs on the sides of said depression.

11. In combination with a container having an inwardly curved end rim, a closure therefor comprising an elongated body, ledges integral therewith adapted to rest on the top of said rim, a lug adapted to contact with the inner surface of said rim, a screw passing through the top of said body adapted to impinge upon the inner surface of said rim and depending flanges on the sides of said body adapted to partially surround a valve structure located centrally of said container, the depth of said depending flanges being greatest opposite said valve structure.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our names the 7th day of October,

HARRY C. BIERMAN. GEORGE W. SPEIRS.

the top rim, and a screw passing top of said body adapted to rest on the top of 

